Zeeppo's Knitting Blog: CMU Juggling

Showing posts with label CMU Juggling. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Second week of the Blue Plastic bals

Today was the third time I took the blue plastic balls to juggling at CMU. They continue to hold up and there may actually be hope that this material will work. The denim and duck cloth start to become rounder when they are broken in. Also the seams on the cloth ball’s seams tend to flatten out as they are used. that is not happening with the plastic balls.

So if this material works there will need to be some work on the pattern. Even so we are at two weeks with a bunch of different people jugging them. So this is a good sign.

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Flying Blue Plastic Balls on Sunday

Well they survived their first go round with throwing. A dozen or so folks threw them around today. The only complaint was that they were not filled enough. This was fairly obvious to me as well. It will be fixed on the next set of them if the plastic holds.

The first set of plastic balls we made did not survive the first Brigade Practice so these are already better than the last ones.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Random Stuff

Today I had the pleasure of working on a French Door. It is nearly a hundred years old and made of nice wood. It was water damaged once upon a time and had to be restained. The good folks at Miller Hardware in Mt. Oliver helped me out with the color and it came out rather nice. Now it matches the rest of the room that has it’s original wood work.

On other fronts I am still working on the clown bags. I have a couple full size apparatus bags and a couple apprentice bags that need made. The shoulder straps on these things are a killer to make. They are heavily padded and have a couple pockets and a tie down for rings. One end of the handle also has to be anchored into the Juggling Baton Pocket. So it is a tricky bit of sewing with the machine. Still, it is really worth it. We are looking at a new apparatus bag that is just a scaled up version of the Apprentice bag. It is easier to make and does not have a separate juggling baton pocket. Some of our folks think it has a neater look.

Myself I am still partial to the ones like mine. Frankly if I were not the one making them I think we would have switched to the newer kind of bag. I do hope that people in my troupe are not sticking with the old style bag just to keep me happy. Walk will be the first person in our group with the new style Apparatus Bag. I know that he would not carry a bag that he did not like to spare my feelings and yearning for tradition. Either way I have probably all ready put too much thought into this.

The juggling at CMU has started up again. It looks as if their weekly meeting is going to go to Tuesdays. We will have to miss this one because it will conflict with our practice at Second Baptist. On the up side they are still having Sunday at 3:00 PM that fits nicely into our schedule. Over the fall and early winter this became a nice fellowship for the jugglers in our Brigade. I am also certain that it is behind the new interest in juggling with in our group. I knew that seeing people who could really juggle would spark interest. Now if only we could find a functioning magic group in the area.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Random Stuff

The struggle to learn Japanese continues. Apparently I stink at learning languages. Well it is something to keep things interesting.

We had a great day at the CMU Juggling yesterday. All of our folks were on the stilts and even one of the CMU students praved the aluminium legs. I have some pictures on my phone that I cano get off at the moment. I will have to have one of the young people in the group get them off for me.

On the subject of the young people they are off from school today as well. I will probably be heading over to Homestead if the weather hold to give some stilting lessons. They are really doing exceedingly well. We are thinking of having a stilter in our routine for the Christmas pagent at the church. I am not exactly sure if it is a pagent. It sound more like some kind of variety show. Which is better that is something that is right up out alley even we are a Brigade and not and Alley. The clown folk out there know what I mean.

Well everyone be safe out there and keep your stick on the ice

Clown, Knitting and Army Terms

Ap Bag - Apparatus Bag
{An over the shoulder bag made to carry juggling equipment}

Apprentice - Apprentice Clown
{An Apprentice Clown is the lowest official rank in The Steel City Clown Brigade. It is a completely student rank. The rank color for this rank is yellow.}

Apy Bag - Apprentice Bag
{An over the should bag made to carry equipment used by Apprentice and Junior Clowns. It is smaller than an Apparatus bag.

Army - The Salvation Army

The Barry - The Barry Scarf
{An 116 foot long garter stich scarf. When he was orginaly made it was a 90 foot long practice scarf. When it was measured it's increased legnth warrented a name. He was name for Barry Manilow in keeping with Brigade naming tradition.}

Cadet - Cadet Clown
{A Cadet Clown is the lowest rank in the Clown Brigade. It is also a Probationary rank in The Steel City Clown Brigade. The rank color for Cadet is Kelly Green.}

Chicken Knitting
The name of the Brigade's knitting group the meets in the Chic fil A at the Water Front in homestead.}

Chopper - Chopper Stick
{This is a Devil Stick that is make by The Clown Brigade for our use. They tend to favor flower sticks. Although a couple dedesign are faster than tradition Dube Devil Sticks}

CC - Clown Cave
{The Office of The Steel City Clown Brigade on Pittsburgh's South Side}

CK - Clown Knitter
{A clown that knits or a person that knitts thing clowns use.}

Brigade - Clown Troupe
{There are other Brigades in the Army, I just don't talk about them much}

Corps - Church
{or two or more divisions}

Cult or Cult Meeting - The Cult
{A very freindly knittig group that at meet at 7:30PM every other friday at the Boarders in the South Hills of Pittsburgh

DS - Devil Stick
{A Devil stick is a name some time used to reffer to an entire class of juggling battons. In the most specific use of this term it is a stick that a narrow in the middle and bevels up to either end. the Brian Dube company makes the most popular form of this jugglin Batton.}

EZ - Elisabeth Zimmerman
{Knitting Demigod}

Ermey - The Ermey or Drill Sergeant
{This is a more traditional flower Stick or devil Stick made by the Brigade. It has fringe that is three inches long. The heads can be weighted to make the stick faster. It is named after R. Lee Ermy because he frequntly played a Drill Sergeant.}

Flower Stick
{A flower stick is a juggling batton with a shaft and two heads on either end. The heads provide the wiehgt that allow this stick to be turned on two receiving sticks. The term Flower Stick appears to have originated in the United Kingdom. This type is ofter called devil sticks even though this is technically incorrect. There and many brand of Flower Stick. The brigade makes several types for their own use.}

HL - Hauling Lumber
{Juggling Clubs}

Hive - Bee Hive Former Coffee Shop

Sadly our once polular meeting place has become a bar. It is no longer a nice place to knit.
JC - Junior Clown
{A Junior Clown is the rank above Apprentice in The Steel City Clown Brigade. It is the lowest rank that a clown can be a full Sergeant. The rank color for this Royal Blue.}

The Judy - The Judy Scarf
{an 102 foot long clown scarf named after Judy Garland}

Kojack - the Kojack
{This is a Devil stick made by the Brigade. It is basically a flower stick with no fringe on the ends. the heads have extra weigh added to them to make the stick fast. Because it is 'bald' is named for Kojack}

PR - Public Relations

Pro - Proficiency
{In our Brigade this is like a merit badge foir various training areas. When you earn enough Proficiencies you rise a level in rank}

The Marley - The Marley Scarf
{The Clown Brigade's long scarf project for 2008. He will be knit from 200 skeins of yarn turned into icord. The Marley is name for Bob Marley.}

MC or Master - Master Clown
{The highest clown rank in The Steel City Clown Brigade. It is a full teaching rank. Thank rank color for this rank is Purple.}

Officers - Ministers in The Army

Oliver - Oliver the Computer Squirrel
{A squirrel that lives in my computer. He fixes things and operates that magical parts of my computer.}
Quareters - Officer's Home

SC - Standard Clown
{Standard Clown is the rank above Junior Clown. The color for this rank is red.}

Smurf Suit - Salvation Army Uniform

STBP - Standard Three Ball Pattern
{The Basic Juggling Pattern sometimes called 3 ball cascade.}

SSCP - Standard Six Club Pattern
{The Basic Juggling Pattern for two people juggling clubs.}

YH - Yarn Harlot

Vec - Vectoring
{Bouncing Balls off the Floor or Walls}

xballs - Excercise Balls
{A wieghted juggling ball used for practice}